Marshmallows in the Dark
by Thyme In Her Eyes
Summary: Aeris has the remedy to a long and hard day of traveling, and Cloud learns that sharing is caring. [Cloud x Aeris]


Marshmallows in the Dark

by Thyme In Her Eyes

_Author's Notes:_ Oh no, not another piece written for the CloudxAerith Forum's 100 Themes Challenge! Yes, it is! This time the theme is "Resurrect" and (as this 'fic's title suggests) I'm going down the non-traditional route with this theme by keeping away from the angst and staying with all that is light and fluffy. I wanted to explore a different side of the relationship this time, and show them as friends (sort-of). And just to disclaim, I own neither the characters or the franchise, as you all know. Happy reading!

-- MARSHMALLOWS IN THE DARK --

Two tents were pitched in a forest, the air around them warm and sour. Next to the tents, a large red feline slept contentedly. A small fire glowed on a sparse path of land, and the smell of a badly-cooked meal was fading. The day had been long, hard, and draining and a longing for deep sleep hung heavily over the camp and the two people still awake and sitting at the dying fire.

Cloud was sitting out in the dark, one knee drawn up and held against him by his right arm as the left absently chucked tiny pebbles and twigs into the dying fire. Aeris sat near him, and every now and then she stretched towards her tent and tried to grab at her bag and blanket without giving up her cozy position by the fire or risking unsettling the nice little groove she'd managed to create in the ground under her.

Cloud frowned, rubbing at his temples in aggravation at his own tiredness. He didn't want to think or plan the next set of moves for the next day's hurdles, but he had to. It had been a long and unsatisfying day – the group of three hadn't managed to cover as much ground as they'd hoped to, and now that night had fallen, everyone was too tired for conversation and had drifted off into their own private and worn-out worlds. And the three's attempts at putting together a decent meal had fallen flat, leaving everyone feeling more tired-out and hungry than before. Personally, Cloud felt as if he was dead on his feet, and looking at Aeris and Red and how subdued they were confirmed to him that he wasn't the only one.

Cloud relentlessly set the bar when it came to thoughtful silences, and he sat and quietly watched Red sleep and how his tail twitched as he dreamt, before turning his face away and staring hard into the fire and then out into the black of the woods with a tired interest in how the small heat spots messed up his vision. His discomfort made him grouchy and miserable, and he hated that. He let his eyes drift closed and tried to encourage some peace and stillness of thought in himself, and most of all tried to stay away from concentrating on how many more steps had been placed between himself and Sephiroth by today's failure.

Then Aeris motioned to him, trying to catch his attention. Her green eyes were bright and cheerful, although there were heavy grey bags under them that more than hinted at how worn-out she was by the day, too. Normally, Cloud wouldn't have been so reluctant to strike up a conversation with her, but he felt halfway on the road to death, and that tired dreary sensation didn't inspire any good topics in his mind. He just wanted to finish the last of his charred meat-strips and get whatever energy he could from them and then have a long regenerating sleep – the type Red was right then enjoying. Strangely, Cloud would've thought that Aeris would have wanted something very close to that then too.

"Hmm? Aeris?" he murmured, turning his head towards her lazily.

"Hey," she whispered. "Check out what I found."

She chucked some small item at him carefully, and Cloud was feeling so drowsy that he nearly dropped it after catching the thing. He examined it with slightly bleary eyes: it was a small packet of _Papa Pete's Mog Marshmallows_. He looked over at Aeris who was cutely dangling another small bag of the sweets in her hands, a sneaky smile on her face.

"Where did you get these?" he asked, warm surprise filling his voice as he looked at the pink and white Mog-shaped pieces through the clear packaging and felt a twinge of nostalgia. _I don't think I've had one of these in years._

"I think I must've brought them at Gold Saucer. I guess they got buried under so much of the junk I picked up on the way. I didn't even know I still had them." Resting her chin in her hands, she looked over the flames at him expectantly before bursting into hushed giggles "Well, go on! Take them and eat up. They're for you too, you know."

"You sure?" He queried, serious again and giving her an examining look.

"You don't like marshmallows?" She stopped munching then and looked up at him in surprise, before her mouth curved and her eyes flashed in amusement. "Isn't it funny how considering everything that's happened to us so far, _that's_ the one thing I have trouble believing?"

He was glad it was dark and that even though the thrown flames highlighted his face, she wouldn't be able to see him blush. "No, I like them plenty. I mean, I did...I haven't had them in a while."

She popped another marshmallow piece into her mouth. "All the more reason to enjoy them now, hmm?"

"It's just that we're behind, so there's still a long trip ahead of us. You sure you wouldn't rather keep them?" He asked quietly, searching her face.

"Positive. Besides, marshmallows are one of those treats that always tastes better when you're sharing them with someone."

He ducked his blonde head by a fraction and gave her a shy smile upon hearing that. "Thanks, Aeris. And I guess you don't want me to tell Red about this?"

She laughed then, and looked with sharp concern over at Red and tried to smother her giggles with her hands. He let himself crack a smile then, and ripped open the small packet and took out a piece. He sucked on his lower lip for a moment, eyeballing and experimentally squeezing the spongy pink and white sweet for a minute before deciding to eat it. He took the next one quickly, and the one after that, feel more and more mirth rise in him as he listened to Aeris' giggles.

For long minutes, the two of them ate together in comfortable and sleepy silence, broken only by a few clumsy chewing noises, the crumpling of paper, and a few soft chuckles. Cloud took another piece, and rolled the sweet inside of his mouth and sucked at it for as long as he could, savoring the sweet taste. It was delicious, positively _yummy_, and it'd definitely been too long since he'd let himself have something as simple and satisfying as that. He couldn't help making a few silly noises in the back of his throat, not feeling self-conscious on account of the silly faces she was unconsciously pulling as she chewed her own pieces.

He turned away from her and back to the fire, savoring the flavour of another one. "Mmm..." he intoned without realizing it, then caught himself as she giggled at him.

"I _know_," Aeris said, trying to hide her face with her hands as she laughed with marshmallow pieces still in her mouth. "Suddenly, the day doesn't seem so bad, right?"

"Wouldn't say that exactly... And getting by with the help of marshmallows isn't how real survivors or warriors do things." Cloud said, although already his earlier exhaustion and dejectedness didn't seem seem quite so pressing.

"I'm sure they indulged once in a while. Besides, I can't see any harm in getting the best out of both worlds, can you?" she said, smiling wryly and cocking an eyebrow in sudden thought. "Of course, it could just be all this evil sugar talking. _Papa Pete_ is a Shinra-sponsored company, isn't it?"

Cloud chuckled, nearly choking on his marshmallow piece in the process. Then, he shifted and reached for a thin stick so that he could roast a piece over what was left of the fire, giving Aeris a thin, self-deprecating smile as she mirrored his action; the pair of them suddenly feeling completely resurrected.

-- FIN --


End file.
